CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan -- The Pamilya ng Desaparecidos Para sa Katarungan (Desaparecidos) and Pagkakaisa ng mga Biktima Para sa Hustisya (Hustisya) staged a picket rally in front of the Bulacan Regional Trial Court (RTC) Thursday to reiterate their call for the conviction of retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr.
Palparan, with his three co-accused Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado Jr. (ret.); M/Sgt. Rizal Hilario (at large) and S/Sgt. Edgardo Osorio, were all charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention filed by the victims’ mothers, Linda Cadapan and Conie Empeno from Hagonoy, Bulacan.
The former military officer and his co-accused were with their legal counsel Atty. Arturo Cabides while the victims ' relatives were with their counsel Atty. Jun Oliva at the hearing of the case at the sala of RTC Branch 15 Judge Alexander Tamayo.
Palparan and the mothers of the victims Sherilyn Cadapan, 29, and Karen Empeno, 26, faced-off during the initial presentation of accused's evidence.
During the hearing, Anotado was presented as the witness of Palparan where he stressed that they have not met nor had a talk regarding any plan to abduct Cadapan and Empeno.
The two victims, both University of the Philippines (UP) students, were abducted while doing their thesis in Hagonoy town in 2006.
They have not surfaced since then and are both believed to have been victims of extrajudicial killing.
Palparan and his three co-accused were tagged by brothers Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo as the culprits in the abduction of Cadapan and Empeno.
Evangeline Hernandez, 58, chair of the Hustisya said the Manalo brothers were also allegedly abducted by the same Palparan-led group and were hid in different detachments and safe houses before they managed to escape somewhere in Pangasinan, also in 2006.
The Manalo brothers also filed a case against Palparan and stood as witnesses during the hearing on the case of Cadapan and Empeno.
The Manalos revealed that they saw Cadapan and Empeno in a safe house where they were also kept and there were times they also saw Palparan and his men.
The victims’ counsel Oliva said that the next and last hearing is scheduled on February 15 this year.
The victims’ mothers said if the court will base its decision on the pieces of evidence presented by witnesses, the accused will be convicted.
"This year, we hope that the case will be finally resolved soon. It has been a long ordeal for us and all of Palparan's victims. We want to see him in jail this year," Cadapan said.
Conie, the mother of victim Karen, together with other victims of human rights violations, reiterated their demand for Palparan to be transferred from Fort Bonifacio to the Bulacan Provincial Jail in Malolos.
"Murderer Palparan should be in a regular jail with other common criminals. His conviction on the disappearance of our daughters should make him accountable for many cases of killings, abduction, torture and other rights violations. He has been enjoying special treatment from the state for too long," Empeno said.
The entire provincial capitol grounds were secured with some 50 personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police during the hearing. (PNA)
